La Nina vs. El Nino

Difference Between La Nina and El Nino

La Nina and El Nino are phenomena that occur in the ocean surface temperature across the central and eastern tropical Pacific. These conditions are probably brought about by global warming and are not considered as normal or acceptable weather.

What is La Nina?

La Nina, or ‘little girl’ in Spanish, occurs when the ocean’s surface’s temperature is reduced by a few Celsius below normal. This means that the weather becomes colder than it is supposed to be.

What is El Nino?

El Nino, which represents the child Christ in Spain, occurs when the ocean’s surface’s temperature heats up to above a few Celsius of the normal temperature. This means that there is an unusually warm weather in a certain place. This phenomenon usually occurs during Christmas time, hence, the name. El Nino is also more widespread and occurs more frequently than La Nina. In fact, La Nina’s have only been half as frequent as El Nino’s since the year 1975.

A brief summary:

La Nina and El Nino are phenomena that are possibly brought about by global warming

La Nina and El Nino are not considered as normal or acceptable weather